The NHS has spent nearly £6 million on liposuction for people in London, figures revealed today.

In the past year, 471 patients in the city have had the procedure, costing the health service £5.7 million.

NHS Information Centre figures also showed that over 1,700 people have had nose jobs, tummy tucks and breast reductions on the health service.

The Department of Health said the operations were not carried out for cosmetic reasons but for physical or mental health.

A spokesman said: “The NHS does not carry out surgery for cosmetic reasons, so it is not possible to make a meaningful comparison between the costs incurred by private clinics providing cosmetic surgery, and the costs of NHS procedures.

“The Department does not issue guidance on which surgical procedures or treatments should or should not be available on the NHS – we expect care to be offered on the basis of individual clinical need determined by clinicians and in line with locally agreed priorities for care.”

Some of the 471 patients who received the procedure are thought to have suffered from a psychiatric condition – where people are overly concerned on their small flaws – called body dysmorphic disorder.

Liposuction lasts about 75 minutes and costs the NHS about £1,500 per person based on private operations.

Breast reductions and tummy tucks cost the NHS an estimated £3,800 each and a nose job operation is about £3,000.

The risks of liposuction were highlighted in 2002 when the wife of former Scotland football captain Colin Hendry, Denise, spent six months in a coma following the procedure.

Celebrities such as former singer Kerry Katona and Coronation Street actress Kym Marsh have admitted having the procedure.